Thomas w



(No Model.)

T. W. F. SMITTEN.

BUTTON. No. 400,132. Patented Mar. 26, 1889.

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I u. PEYERS. mwumn ner, Washington. a. c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS W. F. SMITIEN, OF BROOKLYN, NEIV YORK.

BUTTON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of- Letters Patent No. 400,132, dated March 26, 1889.

Application filed December 8, 1888. Serial No. 293,014. (No model.)

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS W. F. SMITTEN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sleeve Buttons, Studs, &c., of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to buttons and studs of the class in which the back-plate, the post, and the head or front-plate are all rigidly attached together.

The objects of the improvement are, first, to facilitate the insertion of the button into the button-holes; second, to maintain the but-- ton in such position relative to the buttonholes that its retention therein will be secured, and, third, to strengthen the button and prevent bending of the post or of the head or back-plate relative to the post.

In the drawings the same reference-letters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

I illustrate my invention as applied to sleeve-buttons only. It is, however, equally applicable to studs, collar-buttons, and the like.

Figure 1 illustrates a sectional view of a button embodying my invention, taken widthwise of the post. Fig. 2 illustrates a sectional view of the button shown in Fig. 1, taken crosswise of the post on the line a- 00 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 illustrates a sectional view of a button, taken widthwise of the post, showing an alternative method of attaching the post to the head of the button. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 illustrate sectional views of buttons, taken widthwise of the post, respectively, showing modified constructions. Fig. 7 is an illustrative drawing showing a modified construction of post. Fig. 8 illustrates the invention applied to a fiat-headed button. Figs. 9 and 10 illustrate modified constructions of buttons.

A is the head of the button.

B is the back-plate.

C is the post. All of the posts are made of much greater width than thickness, (see Figs. 1 and 2), and in them all the post is so constructed and attached to the back-plate that one of the edges of the post projects toward the edge of the back-plate and is inclined thereto in such manner that the said edge of the post will combine with the outer face of the back-plate to form a wedge, the point whereof is presented away from the post and terminating at or near the edge of the backplate, so that upon the insertion of the button into the button-hole the spreading action of these diverging surfaces will easily and without strain spread apart or open the sides of the button-hole, allowing the back-plate to easily slip through. I

In all the figures the inclined narrow edge of the post is seen at a, and the outer surface of the back-plate, with which it coacts to form the wedge, is shown at l). The post is made of the same or substantially the same width throughout its entire length, and of substantially the same thickness, or at least it has the said uniformity of dimensions in all the parts which come in contact with the edges of the button hole or holes in which it is placed. I make this qualification because, as will be seen by the drawings, in buttons having concave heads or concave back-plates the rims c (1 thereof prevent the sides of the button-holes from coming in contact with any part of the head or back-plate outside of the plane of their rims, respectively, such parts being represented by the letters 6 f. By reason of the posts being wider than they are thick in the parts which come in contact with the button-holes the edges thereof, by their impact against the sides of the post, cause the button to assume a position in which the greatest area of the back-plate is [thrown across the button-hole, thus securely holding the button in the button-hole, and by reason of the post being of uniform width-in other words, without any contracted or narrowed part-the turning of the button in the button hole or holes is prevented, and thus the said beneficial position of the back-plate relative to the button-holes is permanently maintained, and the button is prevented from escaping from the button-holes until some little force is applied in the act of removing the,

same.

A valuable feature of my invention is the location of the points of attachment between the ends of the post and the head and backplate, in order that the strain or pressure applied to the button during the act of inserting and removing the same into and from the button-hole may not bend the post or tend to bend or break either the back-plate or the head of the button. This liability to injury is always present in. buttons in which the point of attachment between the post and either the head or back-plate is eccentric. I obviate this by attaching the post to the back-plate, and also to the head, in substantially the medial partthereof, as seen in Figs. 1, 2, 4:, and 5, at g on the back-plates and at 71 on the heads: and in order that this may be acco1nplished,l make the posts of substantially a semicircular form or outline, as best seen in Fig. 1. The form of posts shown, however, in Figs. a and 5 are astruly semicircular with respect to the characteristic referred to as that shown in Fig. 1, because the attachingsurfaces 9 and 71 respectively, are in substantially the same vertical plane as the said surfaces are in Fig. 1. Of course the specific conformation of the portion of the post lying between the said points of attachment may be as shown in Figs. l or 5, or other equivalent conformation may be employed. The valuable feature which, preferably, should be observed is that both points of attachment should be in the same or in substantially the same vertical plane, whereby the leverage consequent on eccentricity of one or the other of them is avoided. Moreover, it is not essential that the post should be curved or angled, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 4, and The equivalent of such conformation of the post maybe obtained in other ways, as shown, for instance, in Figs. 3 and (3. In Fig. 3 the upper part of the post [is straight, the lower part, j, only being curved or on an angle, and the point of contact between the upper end of the post and the head of the button is somewhat eccentric to the head; but the said feature of my button is nevertheless pre. cut because of the stay-barsj, which are soldered to the post which passes between them. They in effect carry the point of support or attachment between the post and the head over to the most projecting edge of the head, as at 7.", and the same effect would be produced if the stay-bar ran up to the concave portion of the head, as shown by the dotted lin e l, or, in fact, if the solder which attached the post to the head were allowed to fill in on the side of the post to give the effect of the bar 7. In like manner a post might be made which would be perfectly straight, without cury e or angle in it at all, as shown in Fig. 6, provided that when soldered to the head and back-plate the solder outside of the button-hole planes fill in the acute angles between the head and back-plate, respectively, as shown at mn. The eifect of so soldering would be the same as though the post were made in the form shown in Fig. 7, the planes of the rims of the concave back-plate and head being indicated by the lines a and Z), by which, as will be at once seen, all the advantages of my invention to wit, the wedge action, the uniform width of the post in the planes accessible to the edges of the button-hole, and the two points of attachment in substantially the same vertical planeare secured.

As intimated, the heads of the buttons, and also the back-plate, may be flat, as shown in Fig. 8, instead of concave, and also, if preferred, the points of attachment of the post to the head and to the back-plate may be at points other than in vertical line with each other. Under this construction two only of the advantages of my button'2'.. 6., easy insertion into the button-holes and'permanent retention thereinwill be secured, and not the strength-giving feature. Such a construction of button is shown in Fig. 9, where, as will be seen, the point of attachment of the post is quite eccentric to the head of the button; also, it is eccentric to the back-plate.

It has, however, the inclined edge presented toward the edge of the back-plate, forming a wedge with the outer surface, 7), thereof, and the post is also of the same width throughouti. 6., without contracted parts.

In Fig. 10 I show a button with the points of attachment of the posts to the head and back-plate in different vertical planes, and the back-plate is not concentric to the head. I show this in order that it maybe understood. that the precise relation of the back plate to the head immaterial.

It is obvious that the head, and also the back-plate, may be of such shape and outline as desired.

Having described my invention I claim-- 1. A button or stud having a back-plate, a post, and a head, all rigidly attached together, the post being of greater width than thickness or in alignmentwith the button-hole when applied and of practically uniform width from the lower surface of the head to the top of the shoe, one edge of said post being inclined to and forming an angle with the outer side of the back-plate, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. A button or stud having a back-plate, a post, and ahead, all rigidly attached together, the post being of greater width than thickness or in alignment with the button-hole when applied and of practically uniform width from the lower surface of the head to the top of the shoe, one edge of said post being inclined to and forming an angle with the outer side of the back-plate, the points of attachment between the head and. the backplate being in practically the same vertical plane, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 4th day of December, A. D. 1888.

THOMAS W. F. SMI'WJEN.

\Vitnesses:

PHILLIPS ABBOTT, WILLIAM BOX. 

